Dr Steffi Friedrichs

Dr Steffi Friedrichs is the Director-General of the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA), globally the only industries-focused trade association in nanotechnology. In this capacity, she has represented the nanotechnology industries through provision of expert advice and evidence to numerous national and international expert committees and regulatory organizations on topics ranging from regulatory- and safety-issues, environmental and societal benefits, educational- and skills-requirements to commercialization-issues of nanotechnologies.

Dr Friedrichs started her scientific career with an undergraduate degree in 'Diplom-Chemie' at the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany), before taking a DPhil at the University of Oxford (UK). She subsequently held a Fellowship at Oxford University and a Lectureship in Nanotechnology at Cambridge University, where she developed and co-ordinated a Master's Programme in Micro- & Nanotechnology Enterprise. Dr Friedrichs a member of several expert panels/boards regarding regulatory-, safety- and innovation-aspects of nanotechnologies; she is Vice-Chair of the BIAC (Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD) Nanotechnology Committee and serves as one of the main representatives to the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials and the OECD Working Party on Nanotechnology.